You don’t have to search far to see the impact of the American railroad. Look inside your refrigerator at the fresh produce or at the car in your driveway — or the lumber that built your home and the energy that powers everything in it. There’s a good chance many of these products made their way to your home on the 140,000-mile network of U.S. rails.

Each year, an integrated system of trains, trucks and barges ships 54 tons of goods for each American, according to the Association of American Railroads, supporting more than 1.5 million jobs and $274 billion in economic activity.

“As the economy shifts online, rail transportation is playing a huge role behind the scenes to get goods to warehouses and to people’s doorsteps,” says Tom Schnautz, assistant vice president for advanced train control technology at Norfolk Southern, a railroad that in 2017 transported 7.6 million carloads of freight that reached nearly half of all Americans.

‘As the economy shifts online, rail transportation is playing a huge role behind the scenes to get goods to warehouses and to people’s doorsteps.’

“As the economy shifts online, rail transportation is playing a huge role behind the scenes to get goods to warehouses and to people’s doorsteps,” says Tom Schnautz, assistant vice president for advanced train control technology at Norfolk Southern, a railroad that in 2017 transported 7.6 million carloads of freight that reached nearly half of all Americans.

A growing economy will also further expand the number of critical goods transported on the American rail network. By 2040, the U.S. will see a 40 percent increase in national freight shipments, the Transportation Department predicts.

To support this growth, Norfolk Southern is using automation, machine learning and predictive analytics to optimize its network — including 19,500 miles of track, nearly 63,000 freight cars and approximately 27,000 employees — so that people and machines can help shape the future of America’s rail system.

“Automation and big data analytics have allowed our rail employees to shift from being trouble finders to trouble fixers,” Schnautz says. “You end up with a smoother operation, more predictability and better service for American businesses and consumers.”

‘A Single-Lane Highway With Multiple Streams of Traffic’

‘A Single-Lane Highway With Multiple Streams of Traffic’

To understand the need for new technologies, it helps to start with the modern railroad. The infrastructure is like a complex network of single-lane highways with multiple streams of traffic running in different directions, from long- and short-haul freight trains to commuter railroads to interstate passenger trains, says Warren Stubbs, director of information system development at Norfolk Southern. For safety purposes, only one train is allowed in a defined area of track at a given time, which means trains frequently have to pull over until given “track authority” to move ahead.

The system works smoothly enough, until contingencies arise, which often happens in a network with tens of thousands of moving parts. And one small issue can cause a ripple effect. A cooling water leak on a locomotive near Knoxville, Tenn., for example, can cause a breakdown and force delays, railyard backups and train shortages from New Orleans to Columbus, Ohio.

To achieve true visibility, Norfolk Southern built a system of systems: a lattice of artificially intelligent technologies that continuously collect data and use it to automate traditional processes and improve reliability.

Schnautz isn’t exaggerating when he likens managing Norfolk Southern’s sprawling network (and its infinite variables) to playing a giant game of chess. To achieve true visibility, Norfolk Southern built a system of systems: a lattice of artificially intelligent technologies that continuously collect data and use it to automate traditional processes and improve reliability.

Automating a 20,000-Mile Network

Automating a 20,000-Mile Network

Here’s how it all works. Imagine a Norfolk Southern train that’s scheduled to travel to Atlanta from Chicago. Throughout its journey, engineers and operators need to track the train so it can maintain safe spacing and speeds. Positive Train Control, a new technology, continuously leverages sensors, GPS and on-board computing to analyze thousands of variables. Using this data, Positive Train Control can automatically stop the train before it exceeds safe speed limits or enters unauthorized areas of track.

“By providing both a safety umbrella and a new stream of accurate location data,” Stubbs says, “Positive Train Control has allowed us to do more automation within our rail network.”

But this train is just one of thousands running concurrently on Norfolk Southern’s network. To efficiently move them across the rail system, Norfolk Southern designed another technology called Movement Planner, which combines Positive Train Control location data with thousands of other pieces of information to create a dynamic master plan. Using complex logic algorithms, Movement Planner synthesizes all the data every two minutes, continuously plotting and updating the most efficient and cost-effective routes for each train.

“Movement Planner is the dispatcher’s helper,” says Charlie Turnipseed, a former train dispatcher who’s now system manager of dispatch operations at Norfolk Southern. “It allows them to use physics — not subjective human preferences — to determine the best route for every train across the entire network, even as variables change.”

The optimal route for the Chicago to Atlanta train reaches the conductor through software called Auto Router, which translates Movement Planner’s master plan into instructions for individual trains, streamlining the routing process and helping dispatchers focus on exceptions.

As the Atlanta-bound train continues south, it looks for ways to automate its controls and reduce its fuel consumption. On board, an Energy Management computer continually calculates the train’s optimal speed by analyzing conditions such as topography, track curvature and car weight. That information is fed into the train’s Auto Control system, which automatically adjusts its throttle and brake — much like a car’s adaptive cruise control.

As the Atlanta-bound train continues south, it looks for ways to automate its controls and reduce its fuel consumption. On board, an Energy Management computer continually calculates the train’s optimal speed by analyzing conditions such as topography, track curvature and car weight. That information is fed into the train’s Auto Control system, which automatically adjusts its throttle and brake — much like a car’s adaptive cruise control.

It’s a steadier, more fuel-efficient journey. In 2017, automated innovations like Energy Management and Auto Control helped save fuel, with Norfolk Southern’s trains consuming 30 million fewer gallons than they did in 2016. This enhanced operation also places less wear and tear on Norfolk Southern’s expensive equipment.

“When you operate a train with fewer starts and stops, you place less stress on its equipment, which reduces its risk of failing,” Schnautz says. “This gives our customers more reliability and predictability.”

Innovations like Positive Train Control and Auto Control have made self-driving locomotives like the Atlanta-bound freighter a reality, enhancing safety and efficiency and allowing American industry to move freight more reliably, Schnautz says.

150,000 Predictive Models

Norfolk Southern is also using A.I. and predictive analytics to diagnose infrastructure and equipment issues before they cause disruption. This has allowed the company to shift its maintenance programs from reactive triage to proactive upkeep.

For example, the locomotive pulling the Chicago to Atlanta train contains an army of sensors designed to detect mechanical and electrical issues. Throughout the journey these sensors, as well as track and wayside monitors, send readings to Norfolk Southern’s analytics systems, where data scientists have built and tested an array of models that can predict — with nearly 100 percent accuracy — cooling water leaks one week before they affect operations and locomotive battery failures a month in advance.

With this predictive intelligence, Norfolk Southern’s network of locomotive shops is able to pull locomotives out of service before they break down, allowing maintenance teams to make repairs with minimal downtime, says Daniel White, manager of locomotive operations at Norfolk Southern. “There’s a cascading effect of efficiencies that are gained by being able to use data to better judge a locomotive's reliability,” he says.

The data science group also studied rail patterns to build a model that can predict the need for rail replacement up to five years ahead of time. “In just six months, we were able to build more than 150,000 models that are individualized for every segment of rail in our network,” says Mabby Amouie, senior manager of advanced analytics at Norfolk Southern. “Being able to plan rail maintenance with this specificity has allowed us to enhance safety, prevent delays and save millions of dollars.”

What’s more, Norfolk Southern’s maintenance models won’t become outdated if a train or rail receives new components. Its data science team has infused them with machine learning, allowing the models to continuously adjust and optimize decision-making.

“Our A.I.-powered models automatically evaluate and integrate new information, constantly evolving to make better predictions in the future,” Amouie says.

'Our A.I.-powered models automatically evaluate and integrate new information, constantly evolving to make better predictions in the future.'

America won’t need to wait for another golden age of the railroad. At this very moment, highly automated trains, guided by Norfolk Southern innovations like Auto Control and Movement Planner, are safely traversing the country. And by using their own fixed tracks, these intelligent trains are able to avoid much of the variability and public interaction that self-driving cars and trucks will encounter when they begin to navigate congested networks of shared roads.

As it looks to the future, Norfolk Southern plans to continue leveraging its technological skill to achieve new levels of safety, productivity and fuel-efficiency and confront its next great challenge: meeting the ever-growing transportation needs of tomorrow’s economy and continuing to deliver the vital goods that fuel your life.

Illustration by Adam Avery

150,000 Predictive Models

Norfolk Southern is also using A.I. and predictive analytics to diagnose infrastructure and equipment issues before they cause disruption. This has allowed the company to shift its maintenance programs from reactive triage to proactive upkeep.

For example, the locomotive pulling the Chicago to Atlanta train contains an army of sensors designed to detect mechanical and electrical issues. Throughout the journey these sensors, as well as track and wayside monitors, send readings to Norfolk Southern’s analytics systems, where data scientists have built and tested an array of models that can predict — with nearly 100 percent accuracy — cooling water leaks one week before they affect operations and locomotive battery failures a month in advance.

With this predictive intelligence, Norfolk Southern’s network of locomotive shops is able to pull locomotives out of service before they break down, allowing maintenance teams to make repairs with minimal downtime, says Daniel White, manager of locomotive operations at Norfolk Southern. “There’s a cascading effect of efficiencies that are gained by being able to use data to better judge a locomotive's reliability,” he says.

The data science group also studied rail patterns to build a model that can predict the need for rail replacement up to five years ahead of time. “In just six months, we were able to build more than 150,000 models that are individualized for every segment of rail in our network,” says Mabby Amouie, senior manager of advanced analytics at Norfolk Southern. “Being able to plan rail maintenance with this specificity has allowed us to enhance safety, prevent delays and save millions of dollars.”

What’s more, Norfolk Southern’s maintenance models won’t become outdated if a train or rail receives new components. Its data science team has infused them with machine learning, allowing the models to continuously adjust and optimize decision-making.

“Our A.I.-powered models automatically evaluate and integrate new information, constantly evolving to make better predictions in the future,” Amouie says.

'Our A.I.-powered models automatically evaluate and integrate new information, constantly evolving to make better predictions in the future.'

America won’t need to wait for another golden age of the railroad. At this very moment, highly automated trains, guided by Norfolk Southern innovations like Auto Control and Movement Planner, are safely traversing the country. And by using their own fixed tracks, these intelligent trains are able to avoid much of the variability and public interaction that self-driving cars and trucks will encounter when they begin to navigate congested networks of shared roads.

As it looks to the future, Norfolk Southern plans to continue leveraging its technological skill to achieve new levels of safety, productivity and fuel-efficiency and confront its next great challenge: meeting the ever-growing transportation needs of tomorrow’s economy and continuing to deliver the vital goods that fuel your life.